Prior to his Hall of Fame induction next weekend in Goshen, NY, Bob Boni shared his thoughts on a few influential horses, and things he’s enjoyed in his career.

Part 1 is here.

Nihilator ($3,225,653) Foal of 1982 (Niatross—Margie’s Melody—Bret Hanover)

Pershing Square ($812,277) Foal of 1982 (Niatross—Treasure Blue Chip—Meadow Skipper)

“The first yearling crop by Niatross were foaled in 1982. I had researched them. There were approximately 75 colts and 75 fillies among them. I remember the situation where the plan to buy a group of what I thought were to be his best ones came to me. I was walking on First Avenue on my way to Bloomingdales on what was a dreary Saturday morning. It was as though I was thunderstruck. I went to a pay phone — no cell phones back then — and immediately called Lou Guida. Lou loved the idea. ‘You buy the horses and I’ll come up with the money. We’ll decide after they’ve been bought whether we sell them or put them into training.’ We ended up buying seven privately, and an eighth at auction. To say that the venture was successful would be an understatement. The two best ones were Nihilator and Pershing Square, both of which went to the Haughton Stable. I can’t say that I knew that Nihilator was to become a generational horse, but based on what I regularly saw of him and the way Billy spoke, I felt pretty positive about his chances.

“You asked me why didn’t he succeed in the stud. I’m not smart enough to know that, but I suspect that it may have something to do with his gait and the fact that he hit the ground so hard. He was so great that he overcame those deficiencies. As is sometimes the case, his foals didn’t. There have been other great horses with gait issues who had those transmitted negatively in the stud. Two that come to mind are Prakas and Matts Scooter.”

Caressable ($1,006,380) Foal of 1983 (Niatross—Tarport Karen—Thorpe Hanover)

“She came from the second crop by Niatross and was destined to become his most accomplished filly. One very interesting story with her. She was regularly driven by Bill O’Donnell. The Breeders Crown for fillies was to be raced at Yonkers Raceway that year. O’Donnell was racing earlier at Garden State Park. The schedule called for us to helicopter over to Yonkers after Billy’s early drives were done there. We had plenty of time to get there. Would you believe? The helicopter pilot got lost trying to find Yonkers and we didn’t make it in time. Herve Filion subbed for Billy and he won. It was, remarkably, the only time in all the years that I’ve been in the business that Herve drove one for me. It was also the richest race that Herve won of all the *82,336 that Herve officially drove in.”

* There were many more. That number only includes the time since those records were kept.

Camtastic ($2,117,619) Foal of 1985 (Cam Fella—Lushkara—Albatross)

“He was another limited partnership horse. Whereas Nihilator’s partnership, the Wall Street Stable, was composed of 10 owners with equal equity, that of Camtastic was many owners with very small individual ownership. Furthermore, the group wasn’t completed until later in the year. This resulted in his not being able to be put into training until December. That didn’t hold him back though. He still made his baby race debut on May 29. This coming from Bob Bencal’s stable, one known for being quite conservative. Of note about Camtastic.

Bob Bencal would say that of all the horses he ever trained he never had one who enjoyed training more than this colt. He just loved working and being on the track. There are some who say, when shopping for yearlings, they want the leader of the pack. The leader of the herd will also be the leader on the racetrack, so they say. Certainly not in Camtastic’s case. He was what I would call a very timid colt. He had a buddy who was also timid. Those two would hang out together, away from the rest of the herd in their field of yearling colts. I suspect mostly because the other colts would bully them.

“He was an exceptional 2-year-old, becoming the 2-Year-Old Pacer of 1987. He had to be scratched from the Woodrow Wilson because he came up sick before the race. His ownership group, their friends and relatives were all planning to come to the race. I had to cancel 172 dinner reservations. After he was scratched, Bencal asked me what he would need to do to become 2-Year-Old Pacer of the Year. I responded that he would have to go undefeated for the rest of the season. He proceeded to do just that.

“You again, asked why he failed in the stud. I had an answer for Nihilator. Here I have none. He was as perfect a racehorse as there ever was. If he might have been lacking in any area, I have no idea what that might have been. I suppose it goes back to the biblical verse, when speaking of great stallions – ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.’

Always B Miki ($2,715,368) Foal of 2011 (Always A Virgin—Artstopper—Artsplace)

“I remember first seeing him baby race at The Meadowlands. I was sitting with Mitchel Skolnick and Mike Klau. He was more than impressive. He had been bred and raised by Joe Hurley’s Roll The Dice Stable. Joe had given him to the late Richard Ringler to break and get going. I believe he had trained in 2:02 and Hurley had sent him to Joe Holloway to race. We had some interest in him because we had invested in his sire Always A Virgin who also had the same Hurley-Holloway connection. I suggested to Mitchel that maybe he ought to express some interest in the colt to Hurley and figuratively get his oar in the water. Mitchel did the same. By his third race he kept getting more impressive. It was time to talk serious. Mitchel struck a deal with Hurley.

“In retrospect, it was a tremendous bargain. Hurley raised his initial price by $300 after his third start. You might ask where the extra $300 came from. You would have to ask Hurley about that. ‘Miki’ began making breaks and Holloway sent him to Roger Welch in Indiana where he was eligible in the Indiana program. I cannot stress how great a job Roger did with the colt. He not only made a solid racehorse out of him, but he also became the dominant colt in Indiana. At 3, he was back with Holloway and doing extremely well. He appeared to be the top 3-year-old in the country. Then while warming up for the Breeders Crown for which he was favored, he broke a bone. Because of where he was to be in his recuperation, Holloway and Mitchel had a difference of opinion which resulted in their partnership becoming dissolved. Ultimately Mitchel’s group bought out Marty Granoff, who had in the interim come into the ownership group, at a very significant price for a horse who had just broken a bone. The horse was given to Jimmy Takter. Takter loved him and wanted to buy a small interest, 10 per cent. Mitchel said okay, but the price would have to be based on the same number as he and his partners had paid. Takter said okay. A few days later Always B Miki broke his other hind pastern. Takter said he had made a deal and was still in for his purchase. Three months later Always B Miki was back racing and winning. The rest is history. Everybody who has had anything to do with him has done exceptionally well. We call him the gift that keeps giving.”

It seems, we’ve only scratched the surface. You’ve had an incredible career. Is there anything you’ve done more than anything else that has given you the greatest satisfaction?

“The simple answer would be all of it. Believe it or not, I even enjoyed unloading hay and straw and doing stalls. When I was at Pine Hollow and the stud man took a Sunday off and I was asked to sub for him I felt like I was being asked to pinch hit for Mickey Mantle. I suppose that if it came down to the most enjoyable, it would be the racing, specifically the two years with Nihilator. Racing is a lot more fun than breeding. Something I’ve said only half-jokingly, if you enjoy racing and want to torture yourself, get into breeding.



“If you were asking the achievement of which I was most proud, it would be the hand I played in 2018, getting the initial five-year appropriation for harness racing in New Jersey, in no small part using my friendship with George Norcross in achieving it. It was a coordinated effort, shared with only Kathy Parker and John Campbell, with most done behind the scenes.”